Sign.



c.A BINDHAMMER.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 2. I914.

Patented Dec. 14

CHARLES A. BINDHAMMEB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SIGN.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BIND- HAMMER,a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Signs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in signs and has especial referenceto that type known as interchangeable, display signs.

One of the objects of my invention is to generally improve theirappearance and convenience of manipulation and to enhance the economy ofconstruction of such devices.

A more specific object is to provide means whereupon removable lettersmay be supported and arranged in parallel rows, and cooperating means onthe letters, whereby they may be easily located and held in properalinement without requiring tedious time-consuming adjustment, on thepart of v the operator, and which said means will hold the letters intheir true relative positions irrespective of the bodily movement ordisplacement of the sign structure.

Still another object of my invention is to make the individual, letterholding and positioning means, as an integral part of the letter and toutilize the letter supporting means for holding the letters in flatcontact with the back plate of the sign in front of which the lettersare to be mounted.

Other and further objects of my invention will become readily apparentto persons skilled in the art from a consideration of the followingdescription when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Figure1 showsm front elevation of my sign and sign supporting means. Fig. 2 isan end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a broken away portion of thesign showing the letter supporting wires and means for tightening them.Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one of my letters showing the integralattaching and positioning means. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of saidletter taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicatesimilar parts.

In the construction'of my sign I prefer to provide a frame 10 in which Imount a plate 11. This back plate is preferably translucent ortransparent and is properly held in the frame. Across the front, or faceof the plate 11, I place parallel letter-supporting wires 13 and 14 uponwhich to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Application filed November 2, 1914. Serial No. 869,836.

19, cooperating therewith having a head 20 resting upon the outersurface of the frame member 21. and 1 k may be adjusted by these devicesin an obvious manner. When the tensions of the wires 13 and 11% areproperly adjusted they 'lie substantially parallel with the front faceof the back plate 11 and almost in contact therewith. v

A typical letter, of the kind-used in connection with my sign, is shownin Fig. 4 in The tension of the wires 13 which tongues 22 are pushedlaterally at i one end out of the body part of the letter to overlie thesupporting wire. Each tongue is provided with a slightly kinked portionor stop 23 to provide a contacting surface, corresponding in contourwith the rounded edge of the wire, thereby to stop and hold the letterin a predeterminedposition with reference to the wire. As a supplementalmeans, or as an additional stop for holding the letter in verticalposition withreference to the wire, I provide indentations 24 and 25 onopposite sides of the wire preferably on opposite side edges of'theletter, and a sufficient distance apart to admit the wire between them.

In placing the letters on the supporting wires of the signs, as shown inFig. 1, the letter is first inserted back of the wire, and

then pressed downwardly until the wire vpasses over the lowerindentations 25, at which time the operator will feel the snap actionwhen the wire is between the upper and lower stops and the spring tongue22 will clamp over the wire'and hold it in position, between the twostops or indentations, thereby assuring the operator of the fact thatthe letter is in vertical positlon The kink or stop 23, made in thetongue 22, will perform substantially the same functlon, 1n-

dependently of the indentations, but if .desired both devices may beemployed in the same letter or either device may be employed without theother oi" a single stop may be used on each side of the tongue and'abovethe wire as: an abutment against which the wire impinges when the letteris pressed into position. After the letters have been placed upon thesupporting wire, in the manner described, they, or any of them, may bemoved longitudinally on the wire to any selected position and thefriction of the tongue 22 with the wire, is sufiicient to preventaccidental longitudinal displacement of the letter. The attaching meansbeing located on the front of the letter the overlying supporting wireoperates to hold the letter in close contact with'the front surface ofthe back plate 11', so that when one or more lamps 26, are placed backof a luminous plate, a sharp outline will be defined by the edges of theletter being in intimate contact with the translucent or transparentbacking plate and no apparent distortion or shadow of the let ter willbe visible by the observer.

I prefer to mount, on the back of my sign,

a housing 27 inglosing one or more lamps 26, and having its innersurface polished so as to reflect the light produced by the lamp,through the translucent or transparent backing plate 11, and I alsoprefer to have this housing completely closed and extending from end toend of the sign and to place therein one or more lamps, the number to bedetermined by the brilliancy of the light and the length of the sign.

As a convenient means for supporting the sign I provide a base plate 28having two vertically extending curved arms 29 rising therefrom, eacharm provided with an eye 30 for attachment of a suspending chain 31. Thechains 31-31 being fastened to the upper surface of the sign frame 21 asat 32. While this is a convenient means for suspending and supporting mysigns, it is not necessary or essential to its use and operation andwhile I have shown a transparent or translucent backing plate, throughwhich the light 'may shine, to clearly outline the letter, this featureof my sign is not essential to its use and operation, as a completelyopaque plate may be employed and the lamp to illuminate the plate may beentirely dispensed with. i

The letters are preferably made of thin sheet metal and the holdingtongues and protuberances may be punched or indented in the body partofthe letters and I prefer to place two such tongues and accompanyingprotuberances on each letter, where it is convenient to do so.

To remove the letters from the supporting wires it is only necessary toseize the top of the letter and hold the supporting part of the wire andraise the letter up until the tongue with its letter is moved from itscontact with the wire.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A sign comprising awire; a letter to be mounted on the wire; a tongue comprising anintegral part of the. letter, on the front thereof to overlie the wire;and stops adjacent the opposite side edges of the letter in the path ofthe wire to hold the letter in a predetermined vertical position withrespect to the wire.

2. A sign comprising a wire; a letter to be mounted on the wire; atongue out from the body part of the letter but remaining a part thereofto overlie the wire for frictional engagement therewith; and aprojection formed on the body part of the letter adja cent each of theopposite side edges to provide positioning stops for the wire.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. BINDIIAMMER.

In the presence of STANLEY W. 0001;, MARY F. ALLEN.

